I'm comparing these 2 grills and will probably choose between them. Without considering the handy sear burner on the Woodwind, does anybody have a preference? Facts I've discovered about each: Woodwind: -Relatively lightweight build; -Grill temp setting only goes to 400, then "High; -supposedly easy to clean out the ash. GMG: -Sturdy, weighs 155 lb; -Wifi is cool, however many report they use separate Maverick probes with these grills for accuracy, so wi-fi may not be used; -Temp setting goes to 550.
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Since pellet grills really do not sear well (Grillgrate sear kits and such can help), a temperature of 400 versus 550 does not matter as much as you would think. Good searing happens up in the 650-700 and above range. That is why Camp Chef came up with their side burner, which can also be added to some of their less expensive pellet smokers.
I have no dog in this fight, but have studied both GMG and Camp Chef the past year, window shopping if you will, and they both have their pros and cons. I think both companies have good customer service as well. -
A lot of folks the GMG... however I have been looking hard at pellet cookers lately....
The Woodwind with the sear station looks pretty slick! If I would have found that before I purchased a gasser sometime ago it is possible I would have just gone with that and not got the gasser...
So if it were just between those two I would give the edge to the Woodwind WITH sear box
Not to further complicate your decision but the other I'm really looking hard at right now is Grilla Silverbac although I really like that sear box concept on the WoodWind... who knows what will happen... let us know what you think!Comment
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I second the Grilla Silverbac. That is on my short list of pellet smokers under $1000, and is probably the one I would go with, that or the original Grilla if I wanted a smaller footprint. Cost/quality/warranty/reviews seem to indicate the Silverbac is a good deal for the money. -
CES , I should point out something jfmorris said. This is my under $1000 cooker....
I like RecTec but you are well over $1000 by the time you get options you want and shipping. Same with BlazNGrill and Yoder... both of which top $2k by the time I trick them out and get them shipped. I can trick out the Silverbac and have shipped for $1000 if I want. -
I have a CampChef SmokePro 36 LUX. It weighed 260 lbs in the box. I plan to buy a seer box to hang on the side. I bought the jerky racks for it. It will hold about 9 lbs of eye of the round sliced ar 1/8th inch. "High is about 450. This is my first "smoker" so I didn't want to spend a bunch of money. Otherwise, I would have bought the Yoder.
I've had zero problems with mine.
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CES,
To answer the comment you left on my reply and what I like about the Silverbac.
Pros:
-Seems to have a more solid construction than either of the grills you mentioned.
-The lower part of the cook chamber is double wall insulated.
-The stainless guts
-The pellet dump feature
-Availability of Competition Cart which would benefit me since this will be moved over gravel between cooks.
-The accessory pack
-Price includes delivery
-Good reviews and the folks who own them seem to be very happy with them and loyal.
-Good customer service reviews
-Temp swing that allows for better smoke production
Cons:
-Wish the main cook chamber was a touch longer
-Wish they had some additional options like RecTec's smoke box
-Wish they had BlaznGrills firepot cleanout option
-No Wifi
-Not quite the construction of a BlaznGrill or Yoder
-limited accessories
-Haven't been able to see one in person yet
If you can't tell I've been looking at a few different pellet cookers... GMG and CampChef were two I was considering but I think I have moved on from them....
The regular Grilla Original looks awesome too but I like the larger main cooking area on the Silverbac.
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If you have a gas grill that you like and which reaches good searing temperatures, I agree that you may want to look at JUST a pellet grill/smoker. The Grilla and Silverbac seem hard to beat if they are in your budget. I think personally that while the Wifi is nice, its something you don't need for a steak cook for sure. Plus I already have remote monitoring with my Smoke. The typical reverse sear method with a thick 2" steak takes under an hour to reach 120F or so, assuming you put the steak right on from the fridge. Then you move it over the pre-heated gas grill for a good sear. If you don't need the capacity of the Silverbac, that original Grilla is pretty cool looking (I like the glass pane to see the fire pot), saves space, and is well built.Comment
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I have a cuberq Wi-Fi controller. The internet thing is nifty, but not really a deal breaker. I bought the cuberq because it can accept multiple food probes, the digiq can only take one. It is nice to be able to check food temperatures at 3 AM without having to get up, but you can do that with a stand alone Wi-Fi thermometer. So I don’t consider not having Wi-Fi to be a disadvantage (my opinion, others may vary). It’s nice to have, but not a make or break feature.Comment
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GMG for me but I'm an owner, so maybe biased. On WI-FI, it's not just about remote temperature reading. You can programme pre-set cooks, moving the temp.around as desired, going into warm / hold mode once internal meat temp is hit. Low pellet alerts etc.
The customer service is awesome.Comment
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I’ve Been following this thread. And am really looking forward to hearing from Pit members about their views on pellet smokers.
I have been seriously stricken with MCS this year and have been eyeing up a lot of different possibilities.
My earliest thoughts was a hybrid from BlackEarth grills. But unofficially from someone here who has a lot of knowledge wasn’t impressed.
Than I came across this post and started looking at the CampChef Woodwind with the sear box.
It seems to be exactly what I’m looking for as I don’t have a gasser anymore.
So I’ll keep following.
Thanks all.Comment
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Any suggestions on a good pellet grill in the $800-$1100 range? I've read the reviews and I would like to hear from cooks who are using them. Never had one before - uses WSMs. But now I'm leaning toward the pellets. Any help is appreciated!Comment
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So here's my first post. I've been looking at pellet grills for the better part of a year and still looking since it's going to be probably another year until I'll be able to get one. (House remodel>new grill) The short list is the RecTec 700, Yoder 680, Blazin Grill Works, and Camp Chef SGX with sear box. At this point I'm leaning towards the RecTec because after getting in touch with their staff and asking a very specific question, I now have it in writing that if I added a Camp Chef sear box to their product it wouldn't void the warranty. It would be a tricky build with the 700 and the chimney where it is, but if you went with the smaller 590 it would be a piece of cake. https://www.rectecgrills.com/rec-tec-grills-stampede/ So I hope this doesn't complicate things further! At least I've got the space with electrical set when I can finally get that grill, and anything is better than what I'm working with now!Attached FilesComment
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If you don't need a giant pellet grill, I'm pretty happy with my Rec Tec Trailblazer. Because of the small chamber size, it can get hot - up to >600F. and with Grill Grates, I'm happy with the sear on a nice Ribeye steak. it just fits 3 racks of babybacks, two split chickens, 5 pounds of bottom round sliced 1/4 inch thick for jerky (with added second shelf), and I'm assuming a good size pork shoulder/butt or brisket.Comment
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